System and method for distributing and compressing crop material for ensilage

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, a method for compressing crop material for ensilage may include monitoring, with a computing device, a location of a work vehicle within a silage heap as the work vehicle traverses a layer of crop material within the silage heap. The method may also include determining, with the computing device, a current density of the layer of crop material as the work vehicle traverses the layer of crop material. Furthermore, the method may include controlling, with the computing device, an operation of the work vehicle based on the monitored location and the determined current density such that the work vehicle compresses the layer of crop material.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods forensiling crop material and, more particularly, to systems and methodsfor controlling the operation of a work vehicle and an associatedimplement in a manner that compresses and distributes crop material forensilage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various forage crops, such as grasses, alfalfa, oats, rye, maize, and/orthe like, may be ensiled for later use as livestock fodder. In manyinstances, such forage crops are harvested and transported to a bunker,pad, or other storage location for ensilage. A tractor may be used todistribute a portion of the harvested crop material across the bunker orpad to form a layer of crop material. The layer may then be compressed,such as by driving the tractor across the layer, to remove at least aportion of the oxygen present within the layer. This process may berepeated several times to form subsequent layers of distributed andcompressed crop material on top of the initial layer. Thereafter, theresulting heap of crop material may be wrapped in a plastic sheet forensilage.

The nutritive content of the ensiled crop material is directly relatedto the amount oxygen removed during compression. Specifically, thenutritive content retained within the ensiled crop material is improvedas the amount of oxygen removed during compression is increased. In thisregard, tractor operators typically strive to distribute the cropmaterial into thin layers and compress the entirety of each layer tomaximize the amount of oxygen removed from the crop material. However,it may be difficult for tractor operators to monitor the thickness ofeach layer of the crop material. Furthermore, it may be difficult fortractor operators to ensure that the tractor has driven over theentirety of each layer.

Accordingly, an improved system and method for distributing andcompressing crop material for ensilage would be welcomed in thetechnology.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the technology will be set forth in part inthe following description, or may be obvious from the description, ormay be learned through practice of the technology.

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a method forcompressing crop material for ensilage. The method may includemonitoring, with a computing device, a location of a work vehicle withina silage heap as the work vehicle traverses a layer of crop materialwithin the silage heap. The method may also include determining, withthe computing device, a current density of the layer of crop material asthe work vehicle traverses the layer of crop material. Furthermore, themethod may include controlling, with the computing device, an operationof the work vehicle based on the monitored location and the determinedcurrent density such that the work vehicle compresses the layer of cropmaterial.

In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a systemfor compressing crop material for ensilage. The system may include awork vehicle and a sensor configured to capture data indicative of acurrent density of a layer of crop material within a silage heap. Thesystem may also include a controller communicatively coupled to thesensor. The controller may be configured to determine the currentdensity of the layer of crop material based on the data received fromthe sensor. Furthermore, the controller may be configured to control anoperation of the work vehicle based on the determined current density asthe work vehicle is traversed across the layer of crop material withinthe silage heap such that the work vehicle compresses the layer of cropmaterial.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presenttechnology will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the technology and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present technology, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of one embodiment of a work vehicleconfigured to distribute and compress crop material for ensilage inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of one embodiment of a system fordistributing and compressing crop material for ensilage in accordancewith aspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagrammatic view of an example storage volumedefined for a quantity of crop material to be ensiled in accordance withaspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagrammatic view of another example storage volumedefined for a quantity of crop material to be ensiled in accordance withaspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagrammatic view of a further example storagevolume defined for a quantity of crop material to be ensiled inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter;

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagrammatic view of an example silage heap inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter, particularlyillustrating a work vehicle distributing crop material to form a givenlayer within the silage heap;

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagrammatic view of another example silage heap inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter, particularlyillustrating a work vehicle compressing crop material forming a givenlayer within the silage heap;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method fordistributing crop material for ensilage in accordance with aspects ofthe present subject matter; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method forcompressing crop material for ensilage in accordance with aspects of thepresent subject matter.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

In general, the present subject matter is directed to systems andmethods for distributing and compressing crop material for ensilage.Specifically, in several embodiments, a controller of the disclosedsystem may be configured to determine a storage volume for a quantity ofharvested crop material. The storage volume may generally correspond toa desired size and shape of a silage heap for ensiling the quantity ofharvested crop material. The controller may also be configured to dividethe determined storage volume into a plurality of planes (e.g.,horizontal or curved planes), with each plane being spaced apart fromeach other plane along a vertical direction. In this regard, the spacingbetween the planes may generally correspond to the desired thickness foreach layer of crop material in the silage heap. Thereafter, thecontroller may be configured to control the operation of a work vehicle(e.g., an agricultural tractor) and/or an associated implement(s) (e.g.,a blade mounted on the tractor) in a manner that distributes a portionof the harvested crop material on a first or lowermost plane to form afirst layer of the silage heap. After the first layer has been formed,the controller may be configured to control the operation of the workvehicle and/or an associated implement(s) (e.g., a rolling ballastdevice) such that the work vehicle and/or implement travels across thefirst layer of crop material in a manner that compresses the cropmaterial. For example, in one embodiment, the controller may beconfigured to monitor the crop material density of the first layerdensity as the work vehicle compresses the crop material. In thisregard, the controller may be configured to control the operation of thework vehicle based on the monitored crop material density such that thework compresses the first layer to a predetermined crop materialdensity. Thereafter, the process is repeated to distribute crop materialon subsequent planes and compress the distributed crop to formsubsequent layers of the silage heap.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of oneembodiment of a work vehicle 10 in accordance with aspects of thepresent subject matter. In general, the work vehicle 10 may beconfigured to move across a top surface of a silage heap in a directionof travel (e.g., as indicated by arrow 12 in FIG. 1). In the illustratedembodiment, the work vehicle 10 is configured as an agriculturaltractor. However, in other embodiments, the work vehicle 10 may beconfigured as any other suitable type of vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the work vehicle 10 may include a frame or chassis14 configured to support or couple to a plurality of components. Forexample, a pair of steerable front wheels 16 and a pair of driven rearwheels 18 may be coupled to the frame 14. The wheels 16, 18 may beconfigured to support the work vehicle 10 relative to the top surface ofa silage heap and move the vehicle 10 in the direction of travel 12across the silage heap. However, it should be appreciated that, inalternative embodiments, the front wheels 16 may be driven in additionto or in lieu of the rear wheels 18. Additionally, it should beappreciated that, in further embodiments, the work vehicle 10 mayinclude track assemblies (not shown) in place of the front and/or rearwheels 16, 18.

Furthermore, the work vehicle 10 may include one or more devices foradjusting the speed and/or the direction of travel 12 at which thevehicle 10 moves across the silage heap. Specifically, in severalembodiments, the work vehicle 10 may include an engine 20 and atransmission 22 mounted on the frame 14. In general, the engine 20 maybe configured to generate power by combusting or otherwise burning amixture of air and fuel. The transmission 22 may, in turn, be operablycoupled to the engine 20 and may provide variably adjusted gear ratiosfor transferring the power generated by the engine 20 to power to thedriven wheels 18. For example, increasing the power output by the engine20 (e.g., by increasing the fuel flow to the engine 20) and/or shiftingthe transmission 22 into a higher gear may increase the speed at whichthe work vehicle 10 moves across the silage heap. Conversely, decreasingthe power output by the engine 20 (e.g., by decreasing the fuel flow tothe engine 20) and/or shifting the transmission 22 into a lower gear maydecrease the speed at which the work vehicle 10 moves across the silageheap. Moreover, the work vehicle 10 may include a steering actuator 24configured to adjust the orientation of the steerable wheels 16 relativeto the frame 14 in a manner that adjusts the direction of travel 12 ofthe vehicle 10. For example, the steering actuator 24 may correspond toan electric motor, a linear actuator, a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumaticcylinder, or any other suitable actuator coupled to suitable mechanicalassembly, such as a rack and pinion assembly or a worm gear assembly.

In several embodiments, the work vehicle 10 may include one or moreimplements 26 configured to push and/or compress a quantity of cropmaterial across the silage heap in a manner that distributes the cropmaterial. Specifically, in one embodiment, the implement(s) 26 mayinclude a blade 28 and a mounting assembly 30 configured to adjustablycouple the blade 28 to the frame 14 of the work vehicle 10. As will bedescribed below, the mounting assembly 30 may permit the position and/ororientation of the blade 28 relative to the frame 14 of the work vehicle10 to be adjusted. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting assembly30 is coupled to a forward end 32 of the frame 14. However, inalternative embodiments, the mounting assembly 30 may be coupled to anyother suitable portion of the frame 14, such as an aft portion 34 of theframe 14. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the implement(s)26 may correspond to any other suitable type of implement configured topush and/or compress the crop material across a silage heap, such as abucket. For example, as shown, in one embodiment, the implement(s) 26may include a weighted roller 38 or other ballast device(s) configuredto compress the crop material. Furthermore, it should be appreciatedthat any other suitable number of implements 26 may be coupled to thework vehicle 10, such as one implement 26 or three or more implements26.

Moreover, the work vehicle 10 may include one or more implementactuators 102. Specifically, each actuator 102 may be configured toadjust to the position or orientation of the implement(s) 26 (e.g., theblade 28 and/or the weighted roller 38) relative to the frame 14 of thework vehicle 10. For example, in one embodiment, a first end of eachactuator 102 (e.g., a rod of each actuator 102) may be coupled to themounting assembly 30, while a second end of each actuator 102 (e.g., thecylinder of each actuator 102) may be coupled to the work frame 14. Therod of each actuator 102 may be configured to extend and/or retractrelative to the corresponding cylinder to adjust the position ororientation of the blade 28 relative to the work vehicle frame 14. Inone embodiment, the actuator(s) 102 corresponds to a fluid-drivenactuator(s), such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder(s). However, itshould be appreciated that the actuator(s) 102 may correspond to anyother suitable type of actuator(s), such as an electric linearactuator(s). Additionally, although the embodiment shown in FIG. 1includes two actuators 102, the work vehicle 10 may include any othersuitable number of actuators 102, such as one actuator 102 or three ormore actuators 102. Moreover, although not shown in FIG. 1, the workvehicle 10 may include additional actuator(s) 102 configured to adjustthe position of the weighted roller 38.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the implement actuator(s) 102may be configured to adjust the position and/or orientation of theimplement(s) 26 in any suitable manner. For example, in severalembodiments, one or more of the actuator(s) 102 may be configured tomove the blade 28 along a vertical direction (e.g., as indicated byarrow 36 in FIG. 1) relative to the frame 14 of the work vehicle 10 in amanner that raises and lowers the blade 28. Furthermore, one or more ofthe actuator(s) 102 may be configured to adjust a fore/aft tilt angle ofthe blade 28. In general, the fore/aft tilt angle of the blade 28 may bethe angle defined between the top surface of the silage heap and an axis(not shown) of the blade 28 extending from a top edge of the blade 28 toa bottom edge of the blade 28. Furthermore, one or more of theactuator(s) 102 may be configured to adjust a yaw angle of the blade 28.In general, the yaw angle of the blade 28 may be the angle definedbetween the top surface of the silage heap and an axis (not shown) ofthe blade 28 extending from a first side of the blade 28 to a secondside of the blade 28. Additionally, one or more of the actuator(s) 102may be configured to adjust a lateral tilt or side-to-side angle of theblade 28. In general, the lateral tilt angle of the blade 28 may be theangle defined between a lateral centerline (not shown) of the workvehicle 10 (with the lateral centerline extending perpendicular to thedirection of travel 12) and an axis (not shown) of the blade 28extending from a first lateral side of the blade 28 to a second lateralside of the blade 28. In one embodiment, one or more of the actuator(s)102 may be configured to move the weighted roller 38 along the verticaldirection 36 relative to the frame 14 of the work vehicle 10 in a mannerthat raises and lowers the roller 38. However, in other embodiments, theactuator(s) 102 may be configured to adjust the orientation and/orposition of the implement(s) 26 in any other suitable manner.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the implement actuator(s) 102may be positioned or installed on the work vehicle 10 and/or theimplement(s) 26. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the actuator(s) 102are mounted are coupled between the work vehicle 10 and the mountingassembly 30. However, in other embodiments, the actuator(s) 102 may bepositioned entirely on the implement(s) 26 (e.g., coupled between twoportions of the mounting assembly 30) or entirely on the work vehicle 10(e.g., the actuator(s) 102 corresponds to a hydraulic remote(s) or apower take-off unit (PTO) of the vehicle 10.

In accordance with aspects of the present subject matter, a locationsensor 104 may be provided in operative association with the workvehicle 10. In general, the location sensor 104 may be configured todetermine the exact location of one or more components of the workvehicle 10 (e.g., the wheels 16, 18) and/or the implement(s) 26 (e.g.,the blade 28, and/or the weighted roller 38) using a satellitenavigation positioning system (e.g. a GPS system, a Galileo positioningsystem, the Global Navigation satellite system (GLONASS), the BeiDouSatellite Navigation and Positioning system, and/or the like). In suchan embodiment, the location determined by the location sensor 104 may betransmitted to a controller(s) of the work vehicle 10 (e.g., in the formcoordinates) and stored within the controller's memory for subsequentprocessing and/or analysis. For instance, based on the known dimensionalconfiguration and/or relative positioning between the location sensor104 and the components of the work vehicle 10 or the implement(s) 26,the determined location from the location sensor 104 may be used togeo-locate such components of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement26 relative to the silage heap. It should be appreciated that determinedcoordinates may be three-dimensional coordinates (e.g., latitude,longitude, and height or position along the vertical direction 36).

Moreover, the work vehicle 10 may include a vision-based sensor 106coupled thereto and/or supported thereon. In general, the vision-basedsensor 106 may be configured to capture image data and and/or othervision-based data of the silage heap (e.g., of the top surface of thesilage heap) across which the work vehicle 10 is traveling.Specifically, in several embodiments, the vision-based sensor 106 may beprovided in operative association with the work vehicle 10 such that thevision-based sensor 106 has a field of view or sensor detection range(e.g., as indicated by dashed lines 108 in FIG. 1) directed towards aportion of the silage heap adjacent to the work vehicle 10. For example,as shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the vision-based sensor 106 maybe provided at the aft end 34 of the work vehicle 10 to allow thevision-based sensor 106 to capture vision-based data of a section of thesilage heap disposed in behind of the vehicle 10. However, inalternative embodiments, the vision-based sensor 106 may be installed atany other suitable location on the work vehicle 10. For example, in onealternative embodiment, the vision-based sensor 106 may be provided ator adjacent to the forward end 32 of the work vehicle 10 to allow thevision-based sensor 106 to capture image data of a section of the silageheap disposed in front of the vehicle 10. Although the embodiment of thework vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes one vision-based sensor 106, itshould be appreciated that the work vehicle 10 may include any othersuitable number of vision-based sensors 106, such as two or morevision-based sensors 106.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the vision-based sensor 106may correspond to any suitable sensing device(s) configured to detect orcapture image data or other vision-based data (e.g., point cloud data)associated with the silage heap present within the associated field ofview of the vision-based sensor 106. For example, in severalembodiments, the vision-based sensor 106 may correspond to a suitablecamera configured to capture images of the silage heap, such asthree-dimensional images of the top surface of the silage heap presentwith in the associated field of view 108. For instance, in a particularembodiment, the vision-based sensor 106 may correspond to astereographic camera having two or more lenses with a separate imagesensor for each lens to allow the camera to capture stereographic orthree-dimensional images. However, in alternative embodiments, thevision-based sensor 106 may correspond to Light Detection and Ranging(LIDAR) sensor or any other suitable vision-based sensing device(s).Additionally, other sensor(s), such as a Radio Detection and Ranging(RADAR) sensor(s) and/or an ultrasonic sensor(s), may be used to capturedata of the silage heap (e.g., of the top surface of the silage heap)across which the work vehicle 10 is traveling.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that the configuration of thework vehicle 10 described above and shown in FIG. 1 is provided only toplace the present subject matter in an exemplary field of use. Thus, itshould be appreciated that the present subject matter may be readilyadaptable to any manner of vehicle configuration.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic view of one embodiment of a system100 for distributing and compressing crop material for ensilage isillustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. Ingeneral, the system 100 will be described herein with reference to thework vehicle 10 described above with reference to FIG. 1. However, itshould be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that thedisclosed system 100 may generally be utilized with work vehicles havingany other suitable vehicle configuration.

As shown in FIG. 2, the system 100 may include a controller 110positioned on and/or within or otherwise associated with the workvehicle 10. In general, the controller 110 may comprise any suitableprocessor-based device known in the art, such as a computing device orany suitable combination of computing devices. Thus, in severalembodiments, the controller 110 may include one or more processor(s) 112and associated memory device(s) 114 configured to perform a variety ofcomputer-implemented functions. As used herein, the term “processor”refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as beingincluded in a computer, but also refers to a controller, amicrocontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC),an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmablecircuits. Additionally, the memory device(s) 114 of the controller 110may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to,a computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), acomputer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppydisc, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disc(MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and/or other suitable memoryelements. Such memory device(s) 114 may generally be configured to storesuitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by theprocessor(s) 112, configure the controller 110 to perform variouscomputer-implemented functions.

In addition, the controller 110 may also include various other suitablecomponents, such as a communications circuit or module, a networkinterface, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/orthe like, to allow controller 110 to be communicatively coupled to anyof the various other system components described herein (e.g., theengine 20, the transmission 22, the steering actuator 24, the implementactuator(s) 102, the location sensor 104, and/or the vision-based sensor106). For instance, as shown in FIG. 2, a communicative link orinterface 116 (e.g., a data bus) may be provided between the controller110 and the components 20, 22, 24, 102, 104, 106 to allow the controller110 to communicate with such components 20, 22, 24, 102, 104, 106 viaany suitable communications protocol (e.g., CANBUS).

It should be appreciated that the controller 110 may correspond to anexisting controller(s) of the work vehicle 10, itself, or the controller110 may correspond to a separate processing device. For instance, in oneembodiment, the controller 110 may form all or part of a separateplug-in module that may be installed in association with the workvehicle 10 to allow for the disclosed systems and methods to beimplemented without requiring additional software to be uploaded ontoexisting control devices of the vehicle 10. It should also beappreciated that the functions of the controller 110 may be performed bya single processor-based device or may be distributed across any numberof processor-based devices, in which instance such devices may beconsidered to form part of the controller 110. For instance, thefunctions of the controller 110 may be distributed across multipleapplication-specific controllers, such as an engine controller, atransmission controller, a steering controller, a navigation controller,and/or the like. In other embodiments, the controller 110 may be aremote controller, such as a “cloud-based” controller or a farmmanagement office-based controller.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, the system 100 may also include a userinterface 118. More specifically, the user interface 118 may beconfigured to receive inputs from the operator of the work vehicle 10.As such, the user interface 118 may include one or more input devices(not shown), such as touchscreens, keypads, touchpads, knobs, buttons,sliders, switches, mice, microphones, and/or the like, which areconfigured to receive user inputs from the operator. The user interface118 may, in turn, be communicatively coupled to the controller 110 viathe communicative link 116 to permit the operator inputs to betransmitted to the controller 110. In addition, some embodiments of theuser interface 118 may include one or more feedback devices (not shown),such as display screens, speakers, warning lights, and/or the like,which are configured to provide feedback from the controller 110 to theoperator. In one embodiment, the user interface 118 may be positionedwithin a cab of the work vehicle 10. However, in alternativeembodiments, the user interface 118 may have any suitable configurationand/or be positioned in any other suitable location, such as at a remotelocation (e.g., a farm management office).

In several embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured todetermine a storage volume for a quantity of harvested crop material.More specifically, crop material harvested from the field (e.g., by aforage harvester) may be delivered to a concrete pad, bunker, or otherstorage location for the ensiling process. As will be described below,the crop material may be distributed across the storage location in aplurality of vertically-stacked layers to form a silage heap. Ingeneral, the determined storage volume may be the preferred or idealshape and size of the silage heap for the quantity of crop material tobe ensiled such that the maximum amount of nutritive content is retainedwithin the ensiled crop material. The determined storage volume may alsobe configured to facilitate ease of unpacking for feeding livestock. Forexample, as will be described below, the sides of the determined storagevolume may have a particular slope to maintain the structural integrityof the silage heap during unpacking. As such, the controller 110 may beconfigured to receive parameters associated with the volume or quantityof harvested crops to be ensiled, the type and or condition of theharvested crops (e.g., the moisture content), and/or the space availablefor ensiling such harvested crops (e.g., the area of the pad, bunker, orother storage area on which the crops are to be ensiled). For example,in one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to receive theinputs or parameters from the operator. In such embodiment, the operatorof the work vehicle 10 may provide the parameters to the user interface118, such as via the one or more input devices. The parameters may, inturn, be transmitted from the user interface 118 to the controller 110via the communicative link 116. Thereafter, the controller 110 may beconfigured to determine the storage volume for the quantity of harvestedcrops based on the received parameters. For instance, the controller 110may include a look-up table(s), suitable mathematical formula, and/oralgorithms stored within its memory 114 that correlates the receivedparameters to the storage volume.

In one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to parametersassociated with the volume or quantity of harvested crop material to beensiled and the space available for ensiling such harvested cropmaterial based on received vision-based data. In this regard, thevision-based sensor 106 may be configured to capture vision-based dataof the harvested crops to be ensiled and/or the space available forensiling such harvested crops. The vision-based data may, in turn, betransmitted to the controller 110 via the communicative link 116. Thecontroller 110 may be configured to analyze the vision-based data todetermine the volume of the harvested crop material to be ensiled andthe area of the space available for ensiling such harvested cropmaterial. For example, the controller 110 may include one or moresuitable algorithms stored within its memory 114 that, when executed,configure the controller 110 to analyze the received vision-based datasuch that the volume of the harvested crop material to be ensiled andthe area of the space available for ensiling such crop material may bedetermined.

Furthermore, the controller 110 may be configured to divide thedetermined storage volume into a plurality of planes. In general, eachplane may be spaced apart from each other plane along the verticaldirection 36. As indicated above, the harvested crop material may bedistributed across the storage location in a plurality ofvertically-stacked layers when forming the silage heap. As such, inseveral embodiments, the spacing between the planes may generallycorrespond to a desired thickness for each layer of crop material in thesilage heap. In one embodiment, the spacing between the planes maycorrespond to an uncompressed or partially compressed thickness for eachlayer of crop material (e.g., the thickness of each layer beforecompression by the work vehicle 10). In this regard, and as will bedescribed below, each layer of distributed crop material may bepositioned vertically between a pair of adjacent planes. For example,the controller 110 may include one or more suitable algorithms storedwithin its memory 114 that, when executed, configure the controller 110to divide the determined storage volume into a plurality of planes.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a diagrammatic view of an example storagevolume for a quantity of crop material to be ensiled is illustrated inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter. As shown, aquantity of harvested material 120 has been delivered to a storagelocation for the ensilage process. In this regard, the operator mayprovide the volume or quantity of the harvested material 120 and thesize or area of the storage location to the controller 110 via the userinterface 118. The controller 110 may be configured to determine astorage volume 122 for the harvested material 120 based on the volume orquantity of the harvested material 120 and the size or area of thestorage location. Thereafter, the controller 110 may be configured todivide the determined storage volume 122 into a plurality of verticallyspaced apart horizontal planes 124. As indicated above, the spacebetween each pair of adjacent horizontal planes 124 along the verticaldirection 36 may generally correspond to a layer 126 of crop material120 within the silage heap. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, in anotherembodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to divide thedetermined storage volume 122 into a plurality of vertically spacedapart curved planes 125, such as when ensiling the crops 120 on a pad.As shown, each plane 125 may generally include outer angled portions anda central horizontal portion. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5, in afurther embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to divide thedetermined storage volume 122 into a plurality of vertically spacedapart curved planes 127, such as when ensiling the crops 120 in a bunker(e.g., against a wall 129 of the bunker). As shown, each plane 127 maygenerally include an angled portion and a horizontal portion thatextends from the angled portion to the wall 129. However, the pluralityof planes may have any other suitable shape.

It should be appreciated that, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, the determinedstorage volume 122 may include inwardly angled or tapered sides 128.Such a configuration may be necessary to maintain the structuralintegrity of the silage heap, particularly when the work vehicle 10 ispositioned close to sides of the silage heap and/or when unpackingsilage. In this regard, the controller 110 may be configured todetermine the storage volume 122 for the crop material 120 such that thedetermined storage volume 122 has inwardly angled sides 128 to maintainthe structural integrity of the silage heap. For example, the slope orangle of the sides 128 may correspond to a value(s) provided by theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the applicable stateagricultural extension office for the type and condition (e.g., themoisture content, length of cut, and/or the like) of the harvested cropsbeing ensiled. In one embodiment, the maximum angle of the silage heapmay be a predetermined value stored within the controller's memory 114.However, in alternative embodiments, the tractor operator may providethe maximum side angle for the silage heap to the controller 110 via theuser interface 118.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the controller 110 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the work vehicle 10 and/or the associatedimplement(s) 26 in a manner that distributes the harvested crop materialon each of the planes of the determined storage volume. As indicatedabove, the storage volume is divided into a plurality of verticallyspaced apart planes, with the space between each pair of adjacent planescorresponding to a layer of crop material within silage heap. In thisregard, the controller 110 may be configured to control the operation ofthe work vehicle 10 and/or the associated implement(s) 26 in a mannerthat distributes a portion of the crop material on a first or lowermostplane of the storage volume. As will be described below, the controller110 may be configured to control the operation of work vehicle 10 in amanner that compresses the crop material distributed across thelowermost plane of the storage volume. Thereafter, the controller 110may be configured to control the operation of the work vehicle 10 and/orthe associated implement(s) 26 in a manner that distributes portions ofthe crop material on each subsequent plane of the storage volume.

It should be appreciated that the controller 110 may be configured tocontrol the operation of any suitable component(s) of the work vehicle10 and/or the implement(s) 26 such that the crop material is distributedacross each of the planes. As mentioned above, the controller 110 may becommunicatively coupled to one or more components of the work vehicle 10(e.g., the steering actuator 24, the engine 20, and/or the transmission22) and/or one or more components of the implement(s) 26 (e.g., theimplement actuator(s) 102) via the communicative link 116. In thisregard, the communicative link 116 may permit the controller 110 totransmit control signals to such components. For example, the controller110 may be configured to control the operation of the steering actuator24 of the work vehicle 10 in a manner that controls the direction oftravel 12 of the vehicle 10 such that the vehicle 10 traverses eachplane of the storage volume. Additionally, in one embodiment, thecontroller 110 may be configured to control the operation of the engine20 and/or the transmission 22 of the work vehicle 10 in a manner thatcontrols the speed of the vehicle 10 as the vehicle 10 traverses eachplane of the storage volume. Furthermore, the controller 110 may beconfigured to control the operation of the implement actuator(s) 102 ofthe implement(s) 26 in a manner that adjusts the position and/ororientation of the implement(s) 26 such that the crop material isdistributed across each of the planes. However, in alternativeembodiments, the controller 110 may be configured to control any othersuitable component(s) of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26in a manner that distributes the crop material.

In several embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured to controlthe operation of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 in amanner that distributes the crop material on the planes storage volumesuch that the portion of the crop material on each plane defines apredetermined height or thickness. For example, in one embodiment, thepredetermined thickness may correspond to the thickness of a layer ofthe crop material within the silage heap and, more particularly, to thethickness of an uncompressed or partially compressed layer of cropmaterial within the silage heap. As such, the predetermined thicknessmay correspond to the distance along the vertical direction 36 between agiven plane on which the crop material is being distributed and thesubsequent plane positioned directly above the given plane. In thisregard, the controller 110 may be configured to control the operation ofthe steering actuator 24, the engine 20, the transmission 22, and/or theimplement actuator(s) 102 such that the crop material on each plane hasthe predetermined thickness.

Furthermore, the controller 110 may be configured to determine thecurrent height of the top surface of the crop material being distributedacross each plane. As used herein, the “height” of a plane or a surfaceof crop material generally corresponds to the position of such plane orsurface along the vertical direction 36 relative to a surface of thestorage location (e.g., a top surface of a pad or bunker on which thesilage heap is formed). In this regard, as the work vehicle 10 traverseseach plane of the storage volume when forming the silage heap, thecontroller 110 may be configured to receive location data (e.g.,coordinates) from the location sensor 104 (e.g., via the communicativelink 116). Thereafter, based on the known dimensional configurationand/or relative positioning between the location sensor 104 and aportion of a work vehicle or an implement component (e.g., the bottomedge of the blade 28 or the bottom surface of the wheels 16, 18) that isindicative of the position of the top surface of the crop material beingdistributed, the controller 110 may be configured to determine theheight or position of the top surface of such crop material relative tothe top surface of the storage location on which the silage heap isbeing formed.

Additionally, the controller 110 may be configured to control theoperation of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 whendistributing the crop material across each plane based on the currentheight of such crop material. As indicated above, in severalembodiments, the crop material may be distributed across each plane suchthat the crop material defines a predetermined thickness on each plane.As such, in one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured tocompare the determined height of the top surface of the crop material ona given plane to the determined height of the top surface of the cropmaterial on the preceding plane (i.e., the plane positioned directlybelow the given plane) to determine the thickness of the distributedcrop material. Alternatively, the controller 110 may be configured tocompare the determined height of the top surface of the crop material onthe given plane to the position of the given plane to determine thethickness of the distributed crop material. In another embodiment, thecontroller 110 may be configured to compare the determined height of thetop surface of the crop material on the given plane to the position of asubsequent plane directly above the given plane along the verticaldirection 36 to determine the thickness of the distributed cropmaterial. When the current thickness of the crop material beingdistributed on the given plane is less than the predetermined thickness(thereby indicating that the layer of crop material is too thin), thecontroller 110 may be configured to control the operation of the workvehicle 10 and/or implement(s) 26 in a manner that increases the currentthickness of the crop material on the given plane. For example, in suchinstance, the controller 110 may be configured to control the operationof the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 in a manner that addscrop material to location(s) on the given plane at which the currentthickness falls below the predetermined thickness. Conversely, when thecurrent thickness of the crop material being distributed on the givenplane is greater than the predetermined thickness (thereby indicatingthat the layer of crop material is too thick), the controller 110 may beconfigured to control the operation of the work vehicle 10 and/orimplement(s) 26 in a manner that decreases the current thickness of thecrop material on the given plane. For example, in such instance, thecontroller 110 may be configured to control the operation of the workvehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 in a manner that moves a portionthe crop material from the location(s) on the given plane at which thecurrent thickness exceeds the predetermined thickness to a location(s)on the given plane at which the current thickness falls below thepredetermined thickness.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a diagrammatic view of an example silage heap130 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subjectmatter. As shown, the work vehicle 10 is traveling across the topsurface of the silage heap 130 in the direction of travel 12. In thisregard, the blade 28 is being used to distribute a portion of the cropmaterial 120 on a plane 132 of the determined storage volume 122 to forma top layer 134 of the silage heap 130. More specifically, the cropmaterial 120 is being distributed on the plane 132 such that the toplayer 134 defines a predetermined thickness (e.g., as indicated by arrow136 in FIG. 6). As shown, the predetermined thickness 136 corresponds tothe distance between the plane 132 and a subsequent plane 138 positioneddirectly above the plane 132 along the vertical direction 36. As such,the controller 110 may be configured to determine a current height(e.g., as indicated by arrow 140 in FIG. 6) of a top surface 142 of thedistributed crop material 120 relative to a storage location 143 onwhich the crop material 120 is being ensiled based on coordinates orother location data received from the location sensor 104. Thecontroller 110 may then be configured to compare the determined height140 of the top surface 142 to a height (e.g., as indicated by arrow 144in FIG. 6) of the plane 132 and/or a top surface 146 of a precedinglayer 148 of the crop material 120 to determine the current thickness(e.g., as indicated by arrow 150 in FIG. 6) of the top layer 134. Asshown in FIG. 6, the current thickness 150 of the given layer 134generally corresponds to the predetermined thickness 136. However, whenthe current thickness 150 differs from the predetermined thickness 136,the controller 110 may be configured to control the operation of thework vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 in a manner that adjust thecurrent thickness 150 of the top layer 134. It should be appreciatedthat, as shown in FIG. 6, the distributed layer of crop material may bepartially compressed (e.g., by the wheels of the work vehicle 10) duringdistribution.

In one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to control theoperation of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 whendistributing the crop material across each plane based on one or moregradient vectors associated with the crop material being distributed. Ingeneral, the gradient vector(s) may be indicative of how the cropmaterial is distributed along a given plane. As such, the gradientvector(s) may identify high spots, low spots, and/or the slope of thecrop material on the given plane. Specifically, in such embodiment, thecontroller 110 may be configured to identify or otherwise determine aplurality of measurement points on each plane. As the work vehicle 10 istraveling across each plane, the controller 110 may be configured todetermine the current height of the crop material at each measurementpoint based on coordinates or other location data received from thelocation sensor 104. The controller 110 may then be configured tocalculate or otherwise determine a gradient vector associated with thedistributed crop material at each measurement point. In this regard, fora given measurement point, the controller 110 may be configured tocalculate the associated gradient vector based on the height of the cropmaterial at the measurement point and the height(s) of the crop materialat one or more adjacent measurement points. For instance, the controller110 may include a look-up table(s), suitable mathematical formula,and/or algorithms stored within its memory 114 that correlates thedetermined heights to the associated gradient vector. Thereafter, thecontroller 110 may be configured to control to control the operation ofthe steering actuator 24, the engine 20, the transmission 22, and/or theimplement actuator(s) 102 based on the determined gradient vector(s)such that the crop material distributed on each plane has thepredetermined thickness.

Moreover, in one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26when distributing the crop material across each plane based on theroughness of the top surface of the distributed crop material. Morespecifically, it is generally desirable that the roughness of the topsurface of each layer of the silage heap be minimized to facilitatemaximum compression of each layer. In this regard, as the work vehicle10 travels across the silage heap, the vision-based sensor 106 may beconfigured to capture vision-based data of the top surface of the silageheap. The vision-based data may, in turn, be transmitted to thecontroller 110 via the communicative link 116. The controller 110 may beconfigured to analyze the vision-based data to determine the surfaceroughness of the distributed crop material within the field of view 108of the vision-based sensor 106. For example, the controller 110 mayinclude one or more suitable algorithms stored within its memory 114that, when executed, configure the controller 110 to analyze thereceived vision-based data such that the surface roughness of thedistributed crop material may be determined. Furthermore, the controllermay be configured to compare the determined surface roughness of thedistributed crop material to a predetermined surface roughness value orstandard. Thereafter, when the determined surface roughness differs fromthe predetermined surface roughness value or standard (therebyindicating that the top surface of the distributed crop material is toorough), the controller 110 may be configured to control the operation ofthe work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 such that the cropmaterial is distributed in a manner that reduces its surface roughness.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the controller 110 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the work vehicle 10 in a manner that compresseseach layer distributed crop material within the silage heap. Asindicated above, a quantity of harvested crop material may bedistributed across a storage location in a plurality of verticallystacked layers to form a silage heap. After each layer is formed, it maygenerally be desirable to compress the crop material for each layer toremove as much oxygen as possible from the crop material such that themaximum amount of nutritive content is retained within the crop materialduring the ensiling process. In several embodiments, each layer of thesilage heap may be compressed by the work vehicle 10 and, moreparticularly, by the wheels 16, 18 of the vehicle 10. For example, inone embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to control theoperation of the engine 20, the transmission 22, the steering actuator24, and/or implement actuator(s) 102 of the work vehicle 10 such that atleast one of the wheels 16, 18 or the weighted roller 38 rolls acrosseach portion of the crop material on a first or lowermost layer of thesilage heap. As described above, once the lowermost layer has beencompressed, crop material may be distributed on top of the compressedlowermost layer of crop material to form a subsequent layer of cropmaterial. Thereafter, the controller 110 may be configured to controlthe operation of the work vehicle 10 in a manner that compresses thesubsequent layer of crop material. The remainder of the silage heap maybe formed by distributing and compressing additional layers of cropmaterial.

In several embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured to controlthe operation of the work vehicle 10 when compressing the crop materialwithin each layer of the silage heap based on the current location ofthe vehicle 10. More specifically, as the work vehicle 10 traverses eachlayer of the silage heap when compressing the crop material, thecontroller 110 may be configured to receive location data (e.g.,coordinates) from the location sensor 104 (e.g., via the communicativelink 116). Based on the known dimensional configuration and/or relativepositioning between the location sensor 104 and the bottom surfaces ofthe wheels 16, 18 and/or the weighted roller 38, the controller 110 maybe configured to determine the locations of each layer of the silageheap over which the wheels 16, 18 and/or the weighted roller 38 haverolled. The controller 110 may then be configured to store thedetermined locations within its memory 114. Thereafter, for each layerof the silage heap, the controller 110 may be configured to tag orotherwise mark the locations occupied by such layer over which thewheels 16, 18 and/or the weighted roller 38 have rolled. For example, inone embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to determine thelocations occupied by each layer of the silage heap based on thelocations occupied by the plane on which the crop material wasdistributed to form the layer. Thereafter, the controller 110 may beconfigured to control the operation of the work vehicle 10 and, moreparticularly, the steering actuator 24 and/or the weighted roller 38such that all of the locations occupied by each layer of the silage heapare compressed by the wheels 16, 18. Additionally, in one embodiment,the controller 110 may be configured to control the direction of travel12 of the work vehicle 10 as the vehicle 10 is compressing each layer ofthe silage heap in a manner that prevents the vehicle 10 from travelingparallel to and in close proximity of (e.g., within less than 5 feet) ofan edge of the silage heap.

Furthermore, the controller 110 may be configured to control theoperation of the work vehicle 10 when compressing the crop materialwithin each layer of the silage heap based on the current density of thecrop material. Specifically, in one embodiment, the controller 110 maybe configured to control the operation of the work vehicle 10 such thateach layer of the crop material has a predetermined density. Forexample, the predetermined density may correspond to a crop materialdensity at which the crop material has been sufficiently compressed sucha desired amount of oxygen has been removed from such crop material. Inthis regard, the controller 110 may be configured to control theoperation of the steering actuator 24, the engine 20, the transmission22, and/or implement actuator(s) 102 such that the crop material withineach layer of the silage heap has the predetermined density.

In several embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured todetermine the current density of the crop material based on the heightof such crop material. As described above, the controller 110 may beconfigured to determine the height of the top surface of the cropmaterial being traversed by the work vehicle 10 based on coordinates orother location data received from the location sensor 104. As such, inone embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to compare thedetermined height of the top surface of the crop material forming agiven layer of the silage heap to the determined height of the topsurface of the crop material forming the preceding layer of the silageheap (i.e., the layer positioned directly below the given layer) todetermine the crop material density of the given layer. Alternatively,the controller 110 may be configured to compare the determined height ofthe top surface of the crop material forming the top layer to the heightof the plane on which the layer is formed to determine the crop materialdensity of the given layer. In a further embodiment, the controller 110may be configured to determine the crop material density of the givenlayer based one or more of a first height of the layer detected beforethe work vehicle 10 traverses the layer, a second height of the layerdetected when the work vehicle 10 is traversing the layer, and a thirdheight of the layer detected after the work vehicle 10 has traversed thelayer. When the current density of the crop material being compressedwithin the top layer is less than the predetermined density (therebyindicating that too much oxygen is present within the given layer), thecontroller 110 may be configured to control the operation of the workvehicle 10 in a manner that increases the current crop material densityof the given layer. For example, in such instances, the controller 110may be configured to control the operation of the steering actuator 24and/or the implement actuator(s) 102 such that the wheels 16, 18 and/orthe weighted roller 38 of the work vehicle 10 roll over the portion(s)of the given layer at which the current density falls below thepredetermined density.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a diagrammatic view of another example silageheap 130 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the presentsubject matter. As shown, the work vehicle 10 is traveling across a topsurface 152 of the silage heap 130 in the direction of travel 12. Inthis regard, the wheels 16, 18 and the weighted roller 38 (not shown)are being used to compress the crop material 120 forming the top layer134 of the silage heap 130. More specifically, the crop material 120within the top layer 134 is being compressed such that the layer 134 hasa predetermined crop material density. As such, the controller 110 maybe configured to determine a current height (e.g., as indicated by arrow154 in FIG. 7) of the top surface 152 of the compressed crop material120 relative to the pad or bunker 143 on which the crop material 120 isbeing ensiled based on coordinates or other location data received fromthe location sensor 104. The controller 110 may then be configured tocompare the determined height 154 of the top surface 152 to a height(e.g., as indicated by arrow 156 in FIG. 7) of the plane 132 on whichthe top layer 134 is formed and/or a top surface of the preceding layer148 of the crop material 120 to determine the current crop materialdensity of the layer 134. When the current density is less than thepredetermined density, the controller 110 may be configured to controlthe operation of the work vehicle 10 in a manner that increases thedensity of the given layer 134.

In one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured to determine thecurrent density of the crop material based on captured vision-based dataof such crop material. More specifically, as the work vehicle 10 travelsacross each layer of the silage heap to compress the crop materialtherein, the vision-based sensor 106 may be configured to capturevision-based data of the top surface of the layer. The vision-based datamay, in turn, be transmitted to the controller 110 via the communicativelink 116. The controller 110 may be configured to analyze thevision-based data to determine the density of the compressed cropmaterial within the field of view 108 of the vision-based sensor 106.For example, in one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured toidentify ridges on the top surface of the crop material that areoriented generally parallel to the direction of travel 12. In suchinstance, the wheels 16, 18 and/or the weighted roller 38 may not haverolled over the ridges or the ridges may not have been sufficientlycompressed by the wheels 16, 18 and/or the weighted roller 38 due to thecontour of the wheels 16, 18 and/or the weighted roller 38. Thecontroller 110 may then be configured to the determine the currentdensity of the crop material based on the height and length of theridges. Alternatively, the controller 110 may control the operation ofthe work vehicle 10 such that the wheels 16, 18 and/or the weightedroller 38 roll over the identified ridges without regard to the densityof the crop material. For instance, the controller 110 may include oneor more suitable algorithms stored within its memory 114 that, whenexecuted, configure the controller 110 to analyze the receivedvision-based data such that the density of the compressed crop materialmay be determined.

It should be appreciated that the controller 110 may determine thedensity of the crop material based on vision-based data in addition toor in lieu of location-based data. For example, in certain instances,the resolution of the coordinates received from the location sensor 104may be insufficient to determine that the entirety of each layer of cropmaterial has been compressed. In such instances, the vison-based datamay be used to confirm that the entirety of each layer of crop materialhas been compressed.

Moreover, in one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the work vehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26when compressing the crop material within each layer based on theroughness of the top surface of the compressed crop material. Morespecifically, it is generally desirable that the roughness of the topsurface of each compressed layer of the silage heap be minimized tofacilitate distribution of the crop material when forming the subsequentlayer. As described above, as the work vehicle 10 travels across eachlayer of the silage heap, the controller 110 may be configured toreceive vision-based data of the top surface of the layer from thevision-based sensor 106. The controller 110 may be configured to analyzethe vision-based data to determine the surface roughness of thecompressed crop material within the field of view 108 of thevision-based sensor 106. For example, the controller 110 may include oneor more suitable algorithms stored within its memory 114 that, whenexecuted, configure the controller 110 to analyze the receivedvision-based data such that the surface roughness of the compressed cropmaterial may be determined. Furthermore, the controller may beconfigured to compare the determined surface roughness of the compressedcrop material to a predetermined surface roughness value or standard.Thereafter, when the determined surface roughness differs from thepredetermined surface roughness value or standard (thereby indicatingthat the top surface of the compressed crop material is too rough), thecontroller 110 may be configured to control the operation of the workvehicle 10 and/or the implement(s) 26 such that the crop material iscompressed in a manner that reduces its surface roughness.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the controller 110 may be configured toinitiate the application of one or more additives to the crop materialwhen distributing and/or compressing such crop material. For example,the additives may reduce the oxygen content within crop material (inaddition to the compression) to improve nutritive content retention.Furthermore, the additives may also stimulate lactic acid bacteriagrowth to assist in preserving the ensiled crop material. As such, theadditives may include any suitable additive substances, such asbacterial inoculates, sugars, enzymes, propionates, non-proteinnitrogen, acids, and/or the like. In such embodiment, the controller 110may be configured to control the operation of one or more components ofthe work vehicle 10 (e.g., a suitable valve(s), pump(s), and/or thelike) in a manner that dispenses or otherwise applies the additives tothe crop material within the silage heap as the work vehicle 10 travelsacross the silage heap.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method200 for distributing crop material for ensilage is illustrated inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, themethod 200 will be described herein with reference to the work vehicle10 and the system 100 described above with reference to FIGS. 1-7.However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat the disclosed method 200 may generally be implemented with any workvehicle having any suitable vehicle configuration and/or any suitablesystem having any suitable system configuration. In addition, althoughFIG. 8 depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes ofillustration and discussion, the methods discussed herein are notlimited to any particular order or arrangement. One skilled in the art,using the disclosures provided herein, will appreciate that varioussteps of the methods disclosed herein can be omitted, rearranged,combined, and/or adapted in various ways without deviating from thescope of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8, at (202), the method 200 may include determining,with a computing device, a storage volume for crop material. Forinstance, as described above, the controller 110 may be configured todetermine a storage volume for a quantity of harvested crop material,such as based on inputs received from the operator.

Additionally, at (204), the method 200 may include dividing, with thecomputing device, the determined storage volume into a plurality ofplanes. For instance, as described above, the controller 110 may beconfigured to divide the determined storage volume into a pluralityplanes, with each plane being spaced apart from the other planes.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, at (206), the method 200 may includecontrolling, with the computing device, an operation of at least one ofa work vehicle or an associated implement in a manner that distributes aportion of the crop material on a given plane of the plurality ofplanes. For instance, as described above, the controller 110 may beconfigured to control the operation of the work vehicle 10, such as theoperation of the engine 20, the transmission 22, the steering actuator24, and/or the implement actuator(s) 102, in a manner that distributes aportion of the crop material along a given plane.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method300 for compressing crop material for ensilage is illustrated inaccordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, themethod 300 will be described herein with reference to the work vehicle10 and the system 100 described above with reference to FIGS. 1-7.However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat the disclosed method 300 may generally be implemented with any workvehicle having any suitable vehicle configuration and/or any suitablesystem having any suitable system configuration. In addition, althoughFIG. 9 depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes ofillustration and discussion, the methods discussed herein are notlimited to any particular order or arrangement. One skilled in the art,using the disclosures provided herein, will appreciate that varioussteps of the methods disclosed herein can be omitted, rearranged,combined, and/or adapted in various ways without deviating from thescope of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 9, at (302), the method 300 may include monitoring,with a computing device, a location of a work vehicle within a storagevolume for crop material as a work vehicle traverses a layer of cropmaterial within the storage volume. For instance, as described above,when a work vehicle 10 traverses a layer of crop material within asilage heap, the controller 110 may be configured to monitor thelocation of a work vehicle 10 within the silage heap based oncoordinates or other location data received from a location sensor 104.

Additionally, at (304), the method 300 may include determining, with thecomputing device, a current density of the layer of crop material as thework vehicle traverses the layer of crop material. For instance, asdescribed above, as the work vehicle 10 traverses the layer of cropmaterial, the controller 110 may be configured to determine the currentdensity of the layer of crop material based on coordinates or otherlocation data received from the location sensor 104 and/or vision-baseddata received from a vision-based sensor 106.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, at (306), the method 300 may includecontrolling, with the computing device, an operation of the work vehiclebased on the monitored location and the determined current density suchthat the work vehicle compresses the layer of crop material. Forinstance, as described above, the controller 110 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the work vehicle 10, such as the operation ofthe engine 20, the transmission 22, the steering actuator 24, and/or theimplement actuator(s) 102, in a manner that compresses a layer of thecrop material based on the monitored location and the determined currentdensity.

It is to be understood that the steps of the methods 200, 300 areperformed by the controller 110 upon loading and executing software codeor instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computerreadable medium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer harddrive, an optical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory,e.g., flash memory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, anyof the functionality performed by the controller 110 described herein,such as the methods 200, 300, is implemented in software code orinstructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readablemedium. The controller 110 loads the software code or instructions via adirect interface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/orwireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code orinstructions by the controller 110, the controller 110 may perform anyof the functionality of the controller 110 described herein, includingany steps of the methods 200, 300 described herein.

The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to anyinstructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of acomputer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form,such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directlyexecuted by a computer's central processing unit or by a controller, ahuman-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled inorder to be executed by a computer's central processing unit or by acontroller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which isproduced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or“code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions orset of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the flywith the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer's centralprocessing unit or by a controller.

This written description uses examples to disclose the technology,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the technology, including making and using any devicesor systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scopeof the technology is defined by the claims, and may include otherexamples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples areintended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structuralelements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, orif they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantialdifferences from the literal language of the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for compressing crop material forensilage, the method comprising: monitoring, with a computing device, alocation of a work vehicle within a silage heap as the work vehicletraverses a layer of crop material within the silage heap; determining,with the computing device, a current density of the layer of cropmaterial as the work vehicle traverses the layer of crop material;monitoring, with the computing device, a surface roughness of the layerof crop material; and controlling, with the computing device, anoperation of the work vehicle based on the monitored location, thedetermined current density, and the monitored surface roughness suchthat the work vehicle compresses the layer of crop material.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein controlling the operation of the at least oneof the work vehicle or the associated implement comprises controlling,with the computing device, the operation of the work vehicle based onthe monitored location and the determined current density such that thework vehicle compresses the layer of crop material to a predetermineddensity.
 3. Method of claim 1, wherein controlling the operation of theat least one of the work vehicle or the associated implement comprisescontrolling, with the computing device, at least one of a speed of thework vehicle or a direction of travel of the work vehicle.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein determining the current density of the layer of cropmaterial comprises: monitoring, with the computing device, a height of atop surface of the layer of crop material; and determining, with thecomputing device, the current density of the layer of crop materialbased on the monitored height.
 5. A method for compressing crop materialfor ensilage, the method comprising: monitoring, with a computingdevice, a location of a work vehicle within a silage heap as the workvehicle traverses a layer of crop material within the silage heap;determining, with the computing device, a current density of the layerof crop material as the work vehicle traverses the layer of cropmaterial, wherein the layer of crop material comprises a top layer of aplurality of layers of crop material within the silage heap, theplurality of layers further comprising a preceding layer positioneddirectly below the top layer; and controlling, with the computingdevice, an operation of the work vehicle based on the monitored locationand the determined current density such that the work vehicle compressesthe layer of crop material.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: determining, with the computing device, a height of a topsurface of the preceding layer of crop material; determining, with thecomputing device, a height of a top surface of the top layer of cropmaterial; and determining, with the computing device, the currentdensity of the top layer of crop material based on a differentialbetween the determined heights of the top surfaces of the preceding andtop layers.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving,with the computing device, vision-based data associated with a topsurface of the top layer of crop material; and determining, with thecomputing device, the current density of the top layer of crop materialbased on the received vision-based data.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the current density comprises determining, with thecomputing device, the current density of the layer of crop materialbased on at least one of a first height of the layer before the workvehicle traverses the layer, a second height of the layer when the workvehicle is traversing the layer, and a third height of the layer afterthe work vehicle has traversed the layer.
 9. A system for compressingcrop material for ensilage, the system comprising: a work vehicle; asensor configured to capture data indicative of a current density of alayer of crop material within a silage heap, wherein the sensorcomprises a location sensor configured to capture data indicative of aheight of a top surface of the layer of crop material, the locationsensor communicatively coupled to the controller; and a controllercommunicatively coupled to the sensor, the controller configured to:monitor the height of the top surface of the layer of crop materialbased on data received from the location sensor; determine the currentdensity of the layer of crop material based on the monitored height; andcontrol an operation of the work vehicle based on the determined currentdensity as the work vehicle is traversed across the layer of cropmaterial within the silage heap such that the work vehicle compressesthe layer of crop material.
 10. The system of claim 9, furthercomprising: a location sensor configured to capture data indicative of alocation of the work vehicle within the silage heap, the location sensorcommunicatively coupled to the controller, the controller furtherconfigured to: monitor the location of the work vehicle within thesilage heap as the work vehicle traverses the layer of crop materialbased on the data received from the location sensor; and control theoperation of the work vehicle based on the monitored location inaddition to the determined current density.
 11. The system of claim 9,wherein the controller is further configured to control the operation ofthe work vehicle based on the determined current density such that thework vehicle compresses the layer of crop material to a predetermineddensity.
 12. The system of claim 9, further comprising: a surfaceroughness sensor configured to capture data indicative of a surfaceroughness of the layer of crop material, the surface roughness sensorcommunicatively coupled the controller, the controller furtherconfigured to: monitor the surface roughness of the layer of cropmaterial based on data received from the surface roughness sensor; andcontrol the operating parameter of the work vehicle based on themonitored surface roughness in addition to the determined density. 13.The system of claim 12, wherein the surface roughness sensor comprises avision-based sensor.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the controlleris further configured to control at least one of a speed of the workvehicle or a direction of travel of the work vehicle.
 15. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the layer of crop material comprises a top layer of aplurality of layers of crop material within the storage volume, theplurality of layers further comprising a preceding layer positioneddirectly below the top layer.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein thesensor comprises a location sensor configured to capture data indicativeof heights of top surfaces of the plurality of layers of crop material,the location sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, thecontroller further configured to: determine a height of the top surfaceof the preceding layer of crop material; determine a height of the topsurface of the top layer of crop material; and determine the currentdensity of the top layer of crop material based on a differentialbetween the determined heights of the top surfaces of the top andpreceding layers.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller isfurther configured to: receive vision-based data associated with a topsurface of the top layer of crop material; and determine the currentdensity of the top layer of crop material based on the receivedvision-based data.
 18. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller isfurther configured to determine the current density of the layer of cropmaterial based on at least one of a first height of the layer before thework vehicle traverses the layer, a second height of the layer when thework vehicle is traversing the layer, and a third height of the layerafter the work vehicle has traversed the layer.